2008 French Open Grades

SI Staff | Jun 9, 2008

2008 French Open Grades /

2008 French Open Grades

Rafael Nadal

The King of clay has a four-year reign that doesn't look to be interrupted any time soon.

Maria Sharapova

Nobody's claycourt specialist, it was still unlike her to implode against Dinara Safina in the fourth round.

Roger Federer

Still hasn't cracked the Nadal riddle at Roland Garros. But his run to the final should give him confidence and momentum heading to Wimbledon.

The Williams Sisters

The bad news: the sisters were eliminated by the end of Week One. The good news: Wimbledon is just two weeks away.

Wayne Odesnik

American lefty wins a pair of matches against higher-ranked foes and gives Novak Djokovic a fine workout in defeat.

Gael Monfils

The tournament's breakout star. Won five rounds and then played a memorable semifinal match against Roger Federer. One hopes this is just the beginning.

Ana Ivanovic

Before the tournament, the overriding question in the women's game: who will fill the vacuum left by Justine Henin? Here's your answer. With a clean, businesslike performance in the final, Serb wins her first major.

Dinara Safina

Couldn't quite pull off the upset in the final, but the powerful Russian announced herself at this event.

Novak Djokovic

Serb reaches still another Grand Slam semifinal, but one expected him to offer more resistance against Nadal in that match.

James Blake

No one expected him to do much on clay. And he met expectation, falling to Gulbis -- not a great shame -- in round two. Like Andy Roddick, he'll be happy to get on the grass.

Kaia Kanepi

Rolling Estonian reaches first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Jelena Jankovic

The "other Serb" played well for five rounds before losing a heartbreaker against Ivanovic. She does, however, get bonus points for her postmatch candor.

Ernests Gulbis

Lativian banger is a future top 10 player. Just give him another year or two of seasoning.

David Nalbandian

Where has the player gone who beat Federer, Nadal and Djokovic last fall? A second-round loser to Jeremy Chardy.

Elena Dementieva

Russian reached quarterfinals and was a point from advancing against Safina. Then the deluge.

Nicolas Almagro

Charismatic Spaniard was going great. At least until he met Nadal. Then he won only three games in three sets.

Svetlana Kuznetsova

Harsh to give a semifinalist such a low grade. But Russian played up to her seeding, reached the semis, and then simply failed to show up for one of the biggest matches of her life.

Nikolay Davydenko

A long staircase separates Russians from the Big Three. But he didn't last long enough to challenge them.

Amelie Mauresmo

Never plays well at home Slam. But she's simply too talented and experienced to lose to a qualifier in a Grand Slam.

Marat Safin

Dinara's brother gets bonus point for being the sibling of the women's finalist. Former No. 1 wins a match and is playing better again; but then fell to countryman Nikolay Davydenko.

Carla Suarez Navarro

Spaniard goes from the qualifying round to the quarterfinals.

Published Jun 9, 2008

SI STAFF